Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 5-69865, for example, discloses a method for mounting a door glass in a vehicle door which comprises an inner panel part and an outer panel part and in which the inner panel is mounted on the outer panel part with the door glass being mounted on the inner panel part in advance. This door glass mounting method will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 hereof.
FIG. 11 shows a state in which the door glass is being assembled. A vehicle door 200 has an outer panel part 201 and an inner panel part 202.
The outer panel part 201 has an outer door panel 204 that constitutes a lower portion, and a door frame 205 that is installed on an upper part of the outer door panel 204.
The inner panel part 202 is provided with an inner door panel 207. A window regulator 211, a door glass 212, a door lock 213, and a door glass guide 214 are installed in the inner door panel 207 prior to installing the inner panel part 202 on the outer panel part 201.
The window regulator 211 has a main guide 216, a guide slider 215 that is moveably installed inside the main guide 216, a wire 217 that is connected to both ends of the guide slider 215, a drum 218 on which the wire 217 is wound, and a motor 221 for driving the drum 218. A channel 223 is rotatably installed on engagement protrusions 222 disposed on the guide slider 215. A bracket (not shown) disposed on a lower end of the door glass 212 is fastened to the channel 223.
The door glass guide 214 guides one end of the door glass 212. A plurality of installation holes 225 is provided to the outer door panel 204. A plurality of installation holes 226 is provided to the inner door panel 207.
FIG. 12 shows in cross-section the door frame 205 and the door glass 212 of FIG. 11. A door glass run 228 is fitted into the door frame 205. The door glass 212 has a corner piece 231 for movement within the door glass run 228.
The mounting of the inner panel part 202 on the outer panel part 201 will be described briefly below.
First, a machine tool is used to tilt the inner panel part 202, to fit the inner panel part into a notch 233 formed in the outer door panel 204, and to temporarily join the outer panel part 201 and the inner panel part 202 to each other.
The inner panel part 202 is then returned to the true position of the outer panel part 201, the door glass 212 is rotated, and the corner piece 231 of the door glass 212 is fitted into the door glass run 228.
Finally, the outer panel part 201 and the inner panel part 202 are fastened together by bolts via the installation holes 225, 226.
The door glass 212 is installed on the inner door panel 207 in advance, the outer panel part 201 and the inner panel part 202 are temporarily joined together, and the corner piece 231 of the door glass 212 is then fitted into the door glass run 228. It is believed, however, that errors in mounting the door glass 212 in the inner door panel 207, as well as errors in mounting the door frame 205 to the outer door panel 204, bring about considerable displacement between the corner piece 231 and the door glass run 228, and make it difficult to fit these components together.
These mounting errors accumulate and enhance each other because of the sequential installation of the main guide 216 of the window regulator 211, the engagement protrusions 222 of the guide slider 215, the channel 223, the bracket, and the door glass 212 to the inner door panel 207.
Since a front end of the door glass 212 is guided by the door glass guide 214, the movement of the door glass 212 with respect to the inner door panel 207 is restricted, and the operation of fitting the corner piece 231 into the door glass run 228 becomes difficult.
In view of the above, a technique is needed for readily mounting a door glass in a run channel provided to a sash of a vehicle door.